1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910789907403321

Autore

Gause F. Gregory

Titolo

Saudi Arabia in the New Middle East [[electronic resource] /] / F. Gregory Gause III

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Preventive Action, c2011

ISBN

0-87609-517-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (64 p.)

Collana

Council special report ; ; no. 63

Disciplina

320.9538

Soggetti

International relations - History - 21st century

Saudi Arabia Politics and government 21st century

Saudi Arabia Foreign relations United States

United States Foreign relations Saudi Arabia

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di contenuto

""Contents""; ""Foreword""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Map""; ""Introduction""; ""Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia""; ""Saudi Regional Policy in the Wake of the Arab Upheaval""; ""Saudi-U.S. Relations""; ""Conclusion""; ""Endnotes""; ""About the Author""; ""Advisory Committee""; ""CPA Advisory Committee""; ""Mission Statement of the Center for Preventive Action""; ""Council Special Reports""

Sommario/riassunto

The United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia has been one of the cornerstones of U.S. policy in the Middle East for decades. Despite their substantial differences in history, culture, and governance, the two countries have generally agreed on important political and economic issues and have often relied on each other to secure mutual aims. Their ongoing cooperation on maintaining regional stability, moderating the global oil market, and pursuing terrorists should not be downplayed. Yet for all the relationship's importance, it is increasingly imperiled by mistrust and misunderstanding. One major question is Saudi Arabia's stability. In this report, the author explores the foundations of Riyadh's present stability and potential sources of future unrest. It is difficult not to notice that Saudi Arabia avoided significant upheaval during the political uprisings that swept the Middle East in 2011, despite sharing many of the social and economic problems of Egypt, Yemen, and Libya.



But unlike their counterparts in Cairo, Sanaa, and Tripoli, Riyadh's leadership was able to maintain order in large part by increasing public spending on housing and salaries, relying on loyal and well-equipped security forces, and utilizing its extensive patronage networks. The divisions within the political opposition also helped the government's cause. This is not to say that the stability of the House of Saud is assured. The author points out that the top heirs to the throne are elderly and the potential for disorderly squabbling may increase as a new generation enters the line of succession. Moreover, the population is growing quickly, and there is little reason to believe that oil will forever be able to buy social tranquility. Perhaps most important, the author argues, the leadership's response to the 2011 uprisings did little to forestall future crises; an opportunity for manageable political reform was mostly lost.